The Light that Shadows in the Night
by RandomHeroX
Summary: With storms blanketing the streets of Vale, Yang has been confined to her dorm room and her dreary thoughts about the holiday season surrounding her with all that's happening during the semester. Unable to break from the gloom of being alone on Hanukkah, she found herself needing someone to talk to, not knowing it would be the person who was the source of her melancholy. College AU


This goes out to every Jewish kid that ever felt lonely or lost around the holidays when they were a kid. So, because there's a million Christmas stories, I went with something I felt I should write for the little RandomHeroX who wanted a Hanukkah story when he was young. Just as there is many ways to spell **Hanukkah/**Chanukah/Hanukah, there's also different meanings that the holiday can represent. The way it's told here by my rabbi always radiated more with me than other interpretations. Not to knock the others, but this is the one specifically I chose and I hope you like it. Also, again thank Bakki for the sexy (but also misleading) art for the cover. I like it, so I don't care how shoddy it is. Finally, be sure to hit the follow button because this may say complete and it is intended to be a one-shot, but maybe next year I'll do White Rose or Arkos or Roman X Neo (I don't ship, just throwing it out there). Done rambling, so have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah.

There's Still a Chance that Something is Out There

The sun was setting on the college town of Vale. A small pocket of storms had been intermittently passing through, leaving the town with a blanket of snow that had kept some of the students from leaving for winter break. Yang was one of those students. The term ended a few days ago, but due to weather conditions, she was finding it hard to get home with a motorcycle that doesn't have snow tires. The blonde cursed herself over and over on the amount of times she went out to party, tallying up the dollars in her head that would have easily bought her two sets.

With being stuck in the dorm room the only option, Yang patiently waited around her laptop for her father to video call her, sunset being only minutes away and the lighting of the menorah approaching. Technology was a wonderful thing, the blonde thankful that she was able to at least keep some of the tradition of the holiday alive with a couple webcams and a stable internet connection. Yang was tossing a ball in the air to keep her spirit alive and her mind distracted. Being the only one in the dorm left her with her thoughts that were only depressing her.

Before she let the feelings multiply, the unmistakeable sound of her dad calling was ringing through the speakers. Yang accepted the call, only to reveal a very big nostril and dark gray eyeball staring back at her on the screen. "Is this thing on?" he asked, not knowing Yang was already on speaker.

"Dad, we've been over this. Arm's length, not elbow length and you hit the volume buttons again which zoomed in the camera. This is night number six. I shouldn't have had to clarify it again." Yang droned out. She was happy to see her dad, but repetitive instruction with technology was something she could live without. Her father was more competent than he seemed, fixing the settings with ease.

"Have a little more patience with your dad. I just got this thing on Black Friday and finally found a reason to use it thanks to your sister's quick thinking." her father responded, stopping as he was panning the camera as if it would move Yang's webcam to scan the room. "Where's Ruby?"

"You can blame this one on me this time, Dad. Ruby went with Weiss a little earlier during a break in the storm and were able to catch flights back to Weiss' house. She wanted to stay the rest of the nights to see if I could drive her home, but I told her to that she should go. We were going to miss Hanukkah anyhow with Signal having its' finals week now." Yang explained, not entirely happy with the decision. Ruby didn't necessarily want to miss out on the holiday, their religion a sliver of connection with her mom. The blonde knew the circumstances and didn't want her sister missing out on more of the break by being stuck in the prison that was their dorm room while the storms were hitting the town. Yang had taken a liking to Weiss and coming home to meet her parents was a big deal for Ruby. Yang said she could join the lighting if she was home, but it seemed the best plans of mice and men were going awry. She made a tough call at the time, thinking her father was going to chew her out, but his reaction was better than the blonde expected.

The man pinched the bridge of him nose, letting out a deep sigh. "I want to be mad at you, but you made the right call. I'm stuck in the office here anyhow because the dean wasn't going to give me more time off when the break is around the corner. I have to drive back after this so I can grade the last minute papers some of the students turned in. Wouldn't exactly have been a family affair if I'm gone through the holiday."

"Thanks Dad." Yang replied, the blonde looking over to the clock and noticing the time was stretching too close for formalities. "I guess we can't wait for Ruby. Start the prayers and we'll see if we can get her tomorrow."

"I'm on it." her father hurriedly said, propping the tablet up on the sofa next to the fireplace. As her dad was getting the lighter, the familiar jangles of Zwei's dog tags were creeping up on the microphone, the curious hound furiously sniffling the tablet.

"Aww. I miss you so much, Zwei. Who's my fat little pup? You are." Yang's voice uptick as she praised her dog, Zwei holding his tongue out and panting loudly as he was being acknowledged.

"He is fat. I'm putting him on a diet." Her dad shouted from the distance. He rushed onto the screen, placing the menorah and the respective candles in their place. On the mantle there was a picture of their family before their mom passed. Yang was not the most strict of following Jewish customs, but like her dad, she did the big traditions in memory of her mom. Her faith mattered to her and after she died, her dad tried his best to keep her memory alive. Hanukkah, Passover and a few of mom's quirks were always celebrated because the love they all had for her couldn't be extinguished.

"You stay here, Zwei. You're part of this family too. I'm going to light the shamash." her dad announced, flicking the flint to get the middle candle lit. "I'll let you start the prayers today, Yang."

The blonde took a deep breath and began, "Baruch Atah Adonai..."Her dad began shortly after while lighting each candle from the newest and down the right to the oldest candle. Yang always had to hold a smirk whenever her dad spoke Hebrew. He learned all of this later in life when he met their mom, so his pronunciation was always a bit off, his native tongue not used to the syllables of the Jewish language, but endearing as he chanted it. "...Amen."

"Amen." he concluded, both taking a moment of silence as they admired the mostly lit menorah. "Well, I hate cutting it short, Kiddo, but duty calls. I ought to go make dinner and I'm sure you're dying to get some food as well."

"I am. I'll see you tomorrow. Dad, ani ohevet otchah." Yang said, proud that she was able to retain some of the phrases of her upbringing.

"I was always bad at repeating that back to your mother so I'll say it in English. I love you too, Yang. Till tomorrow." Her dad concluded, ending the call. Yang closed the laptop and slung a brown coat over her beige long sleeve, accenting it with an orange scarf. After tucking in her jeans into her boots, she left into the cold, dark streets of the campus.

Yang usually dressed lighter, her body luckily being a generator of immense heat, but the last thing she wanted was a cold on the drive back home on Bumblebee. The university town center was just a hop, skip and a jump away from the dorm and had a wide selection of food, each store having a unique spin to their flavor of cuisine, but walking down the main streets had the blonde's appetite shrinking. Each store front, every bush and street lamp was decorated for the season. Yang was flashed back to when she was a child asking, where is the Star of David? Where is the menorah in the windows? Where do I fit in with all of this? As she grew up, she assimilated with the Christmas culture, her growing used to just not seeing anyone celebrate Hanukkah, but this particular season got her down. Without Ruby, being away from home and going back to an empty dorm room had her drudging up the old pains of youth. With all that had been pushing on Yang the past few months, unlike the pure oil of the Hanukkah miracle, she didn't think her mood would last another day. For the first time in a long time, she felt lonely.

Yang didn't know what she wanted and went with for a cheap meal of a cheeseburger and animal style fries. Wanting to hide her lonesomeness from the world, she got the bag to-go and hoofed it back to the dorm room. The blonde was proud that she was still able to run that fast to keep the meal warm under the coat, quietly humming an Achieve Men song to keep her spirits from sinking too much as she unlocked her door. Much to her surprise, she was startled to see her bunk mate, Blake, who was as surprised to see her, sitting on the bed with a book buried in her face.

Although Yang was destitute, the last person she would have wanted on the list of people to aid in that would have been Blake. She was a source of Yang's problems over the past few months. Yang and Blake were great friends from the beginning, the bookworm taking a liking to her since she and her set up the bunk beds. Before fall came into full swing, Blake had broken up with her high-school sweetheart of two years, leaving a pretty damaged girl who needed cheering up. As Yang was healing the wounded heart, she grew quite fond of her dorm mate, fond enough to one day slip and not play it close to the vest with what was supposed to be innocent teasing. The tease came out as a flirt and Blake responded negatively, saying that she's still in a mourning period and she hadn't considered Yang anymore than a friend.

This devastated the blonde, but she blamed herself for being so careless with someone's heart who she she was genuinely trying to mend. With their relationship losing its' balance, she always felt this unresolved tension when she and Blake were in a room alone together, Yang knowing her actions that night were placing on the forefront as her introverted friend was keeping her at arms distance, the blonde obeying as she didn't want to hurt Blake more with unwanted advances.

There was a small, difficult silence as the two of them met eyes, Yang's curiosity overpowering her concern as she was piecing the lack of logic she once had. "What are you doing here? I thought you left midday for home."

"I-I didn't, but I took a bus down to the bookstore. I picked up a book and sort got sucked into the story. I hadn't even realized the sun went down until I finished paying for some new additions to my library." Blake cleared up, Yang noticing the couple of white, plastic bags next to her bed that seemingly would burst at the weight of the texts inside.

"That's great I guess, but I was sort of expecting to come into an empty room. It scared me to realize the lights were on as I was opening the door." Yang admitted, a smile stretching across her face as she attempted to lighten the mood.

"You were scared. I almost had a heart attack as I heard the lock and tumble turn." Blake reciprocating the warm joke, both glad they weren't going to have to fight a bedroom intruder. The small grace of a tender conversation was lost as soon as the unsettling realization that Yang was alone with Blake, the blonde darting for her desk to dig into her meal.

Yang popped open her laptop and was casually surfing the net as she was eating, her back turned to the beds to give the bookworm privacy. As she was taking another mouthful of burger, a hand reached over to her stack of fries, Blake taking a liberal amount of the sauce and toppings with it as she stole a smattering of morsels for herself. "Sorry. All I ate was a croissant for lunch and totally forgot to eat until my stomach just gave me a very loud reminder. I'm going to order pizza. I needed something to hold me over though."

Yang heard the tone in Blake's voice and was tired of hearing the distant, cold tone she's been carrying around. The fleeting jokes minutes ago is what she missed with her bunk mate, the blonde knowing it would have to be her to extend an olive branch if she were to get back to where she and Blake were. Yang ripped off a large chunk of the burger, taking a risk as she figured a polite no was the worst that could happen. "Take half of mine and we'll split the fries."

"Really? You don't have to."

"I want to though. Afterward, since it's been such a long time, maybe we could go out for some drinks. The bars were pretty vacant when I was walking down to get food." Yang requested, the time Blake taking to answer making her second guess her confidence in her plan. As Yang was about to downplay the offer, the dark-haired girl replied.

"Yea-yeah. My eyes could use a good rest." Blake taking the seat from her desk and placing it next to Yang. They have eaten together as a group with the other two, but sitting down, eating and watching internet clips to kill time hadn't been done since Yang threw a monkey wrench into their relationship. She may have been in a different seat, mostly stiff as she sat so close to her, but if this was the first step to rebuilding a bridge she set fire then it was alright.

With a little food in them, Yang slung on her winter gear, taking a red beanie and lending Blake her orange scarf. The dark-haired girl dawned on her earmuffs with kitten paws on the flaps and a dark gray windbreaker over her black top. Her dark, indigo jeans were cuffed in her boots as well and the two headed out. With the more positive atmosphere around the girls, Blake revealed the reason she was still around campus, the answer disconcerting to the blonde.

"That's not cool of your family to not come pick you up. I was biting at the chance to get out of here. If Bumblebee wasn't keeping me here, I would have taken you home."

"Where I live is in the opposite direction and I wouldn't want to impose. I can't blame them though. The weathermen have been so spotty on the conditions that they didn't know there was a break long enough to come pick me up." Blake tucking her hands under her armpits. "Right now I'm more mad I didn't bring mittens with me to Beacon."

"Don't worry. I'll put a hot buttered rum in your hands and heat will be the last of your problems." Yang jested, finding solace in wanting to get a warm beverage so she can calm her nerves, the blonde's body radiating with her crush's presence in close proximity.

Yang and Blake entered the bar, the blonde walked on the left side of the establishment that was separated with a massive bookshelf filled with textbooks and knickknacks that were also adorned on the walls. She moved along down the aisle, booths lit by a single oiled lamp were mostly vacant aside from the few regulars that were having a cold pint on the frosty night. As she approached the bartender, Yang noticed he already had a glint in his eyes with a couple of beauties that were marching towards him, the blonde wishing it wasn't winter as a precise reveal of her cleavage would have ascertained a few free drinks. However, she was feeling a bit generous, putting her and Blake's drinks on her credit card.

To Yang's surprise, the two ventured over to the other side of the bookcase to the more intimate setting of the fireplace. By the niche, sparsely arranged were loveseats around a couple coffee tables. Blake took a seat closest to the fire, the flames gently heating the chair as Yang took a spot next to her. The blonde hated how alcohol seemed to be a conversation lubricant, but as the two were taking generous sips of their beverages, the two talking like best friends before the incident, Yang cursing it took a couple rum and cokes to reconcile in proper.

"Are you drunk enough yet to admit that Weiss kind of pisses you off?" Blake dangled out the obvious bait, Yang still sober enough to evade such a trap.

"No, of course not. You need to strop trying to get ammo to blackmail me. Weiss is a fine individual."

the blonde straining at the end to describe the heiress.

"Way to use the most generic terms to describe her. You can't lie to me when I see that face you make wherever she asks for pointers to get Ruby to like her more."

"She's just trying to be a good girlfriend. It's hard to find the harm in her sincerity...although I'll be the first to admit that it's creepy that all of the information I'm giving her is only leading down the inevitable outcome of her trying to get Ruby out of her skirt." Yang lowly and hurriedly rushed out that confession, but the bookworm had too good of hearing.

"Ha. I finally got it out of you." Blake tagging a sip of victory.

"Someone still sounds like they are sore from that political discussion. I bet you're looking for some recruits in Fort Belladonna." Yang dodging the quandary.

"I'll admit it got rather...heated, but are you really going to leave me alone on this one? You know Ruby is no doubt second in command in the Ice Queen's army." Blake jeered back, Yang knowing she effectively got herself out of an embarrassing corner.

"Just so this doesn't blow up in my face in the future. I think both of you are smart and have excellent points. For the sake of symmetry, I'll join you."

Blake took a deep breath, smiling as she was pinching her nose at the blonde's checkmating her logic. "Fine. I'll take it. I'll admit Weiss is smart. Excellent points however is heavily debatable."

"Alright, then instead of that then passionate. Even when you were breathing fire at each other, it was still really admirable to see someone so ardent about a subject. Even when your face was as red as Ruby's jacket, you were still kind of cute because of that aspect. It makes me envious that I've still not found that drive to pick a major like the rest of you." Yang disclosed, the sober part of her realizing she may be getting a bit too drunk and she was shoveling a problem of hers onto Blake. To the blonde's surprise, her roommate took the confession to heart.

"Thanks, but you always wanted to travel. There's plenty of jobs out there that require a lot of it. All you got to do is stumble onto the right class. Sort of wish I had to luxury to explore like that at times. It's sort of inspiring really." Blake nudging her elbow into her as she was acclaiming Yang's choices. Wanting to express her gratitude, the blonde turned her attention from the fire to her friend, Yang finding that may have been a mistake. She hadn't realized that Blake or both of them had moved from opposite sides of the couch to meeting each other in the middle. Such closeness had her vision framed completely on the raven-haired girl in front of her. Blake's eyes said more than the captivating grin she wore, the amber irises dancing as the fire flickered across her face. Yang wanted to believe with all of her heart that the flush running across her friend's cheeks was made by her and not the half-finished glass in her hand, that it wasn't a trick of the light as Blake was inching her head towards her, that the pair of empty shot glasses on the table weren't influencing her eyes to become half-lidded.

Yang followed suit, the partially sober part of her overpowered with the intoxication of her desire to feel Blake's lips on hers. She could feel Blake's breath close to hers, only for them to separate at the loud crashing of the entrance. Yang's neck jerked back, glancing over at the intrusion of a following of roaring, mostly drunk people coming into the bar. A quick notice of their slankets meant that it was a traditional winter bar crawl. If there was some romantic mood, it was immediately dissolved with the introduction of the new visitors.

The blonde ordered a new drink, partly to drown out her misery of her lost chance of kissing her crush, and also to numb the reminder that she was alone for the holiday. All of the patrons were garbed in some sort of Christmas gear. Santa hats, red and white slankets and candy cane mixers in their beers were some of the many obvious cues of them celebrating Christmas.

Yang was swilling the drink in her hand, keeping the conversation to the essentials as she felt abashed at her failed misreadings of Blake's intentions. Over the loud commotion on the other side of the bar, Yang was startled by a voice she was surprised to hear again.

"Hey." Yang turning to see a more concerned expression on Blake's face. "Something the matter?"

Yang had two problems and knew she couldn't disclose one, but didn't want to drudge up her problems when being Jewish around Christmas time only concerned her. "It's nothing. What brought that up?"

"Cause you've been sighing deeply whenever the crowd over there starts cheering. Also, you're a bad liar. If you don't tell me, I'll buy a couple more shots to loosen your lips." Blake threatened, Yang not doubting her as it wasn't her credit card on tab.

"It's a...it's been kind of a weird year. After Ruby and Weiss got more exclusive as a couple, she's been shutting me out of a lot of things. That's fine as I just went to go hang out with someone else, but it hurt to see our relationship wane. That brings us to now...to a holiday that me and her used to celebrate so fondly. Being Jewish around Christmas time when you're little is extremely isolating. It's weird the year when you wake up and figure out that that holiday you celebrate so highly is not celebrated by anyone else. You see Christmas trees, advertisements, and just about everything decorated for Christmas. So being the only Jewish kids bonded us and our family...especially when we did it in memory of our mom. We grew out of it because Christmas is a great holiday and assimilating wasn't too hard as long as you follow the commercial aspects of it. But her running off with Weiss, being stuck here away from home...it's been a little too much with everything this semester and it's been bringing up that feeling of loneliness I got when I was a kid."

Although she's been saying it in her head, it was nice for Yang to confide with anyone at the moment, the idea of someone not claiming she was being so callow as an adult negating the feelings. She was so confident that she was in the wrong, that it surprised her with the proclamation after. "Bartender, two shots of Drunk Gingerbread Man!"

"Alright, me being sad doesn't give you the right to abuse the credit card." Yang pointed out.

"No, but it gives us an excuse to get a bit silly and drown our sorrows in alcohol. I know this isn't the best way to handle emotions, but this is the only thing open right now, Weiss isn't back at the dorm to scold us and we have zero to do tomorrow. I think we may have earned a night of irresponsible fun. What do you say?" Blake offered, eyes wanting to aid the blonde in her struggle. Yang couldn't say no with her friend eager to get drunk along with her.

Yang turned her head back to the bar. "Make that two double shots, my good sir!" Yang feeling the spirit of the season as her and Blake were back to bonding. A tray came with two wide-mouth glasses with the creamy white liquid filled to the brim. They held their glasses, toasting the occasion.

"Happy...fifth night of Hanukkah, Yang." Blake started, Yang appreciating the effort.

"Sixth night." the blonde corrected.

"Happy sixth night of Hanukkah." Blake emphasizing her revised error, the two clanging their glasses. "Cheers." Yang slugged down the sweet liquor, the fire whiskey adding a well-received, burning aftertaste. As she set the glass down, that was the last clear image she had, the next being staggering out of the bar, the smelly pillow in the back of the cab and collapsing on her warm sheets as she stumbled through the door.

The bird calling from the outside was the soft, but abhorred sound that Yang woke to. She has had worse hangovers before, but she was still not fond of the dull thumping against her forehead. With an impaired mind, she was trying her best to try and fall back asleep, but nature wasn't going to let that happen, the blonde guessing a nest was nearby. Like hangovers previous, she felt her body had gone through a rumble, barley able to slink to off the bed and make it to the toilet for morning business. This time was different.

As Yang was about to attempt lifting off her bed, she noticed the black tuft of mane that rested against her cheek. She knew her body was heavy, but she didn't anticipate for a whole other person propping herself against her. Her left arm was pinned by Blake's body, her hand curling around the bookworm's waist as they slept. Her friend seemingly had thrown herself across her body, one of Blake's arms around the back of Yang's neck and another pinning her arm to the comforter, Yang guessing the dark-haired girl was dragging her drunk self all the way to the bed and passed out. She could feel the tepid breathing of Blake's exhalations on her neck, her chest lightly massaging Yang's sides as she was peacefully sleeping. The blonde raised her head just enough to catch a glimpse of her friend's face, the tranquil expression of a pleasant rest was more than what Yang could have guessed from how much they were drinking last night.

If the pain receptors in her brain weren't blocking the pleasure ones, Yang would have a blush flowing freely. Blake on top of her was one of many dreams she had with her. Luckily, she was more clothed in this situation, the blonde not wanting to have to piece together how both of them ended up naked on the bed. Yang's hand slowly inched towards her pants pocket, gripping her phone and taking a look at the time. She waited for her vision to focus, but was still floored as it was just dipping past noon, wondering how long were they out drinking. Yang felt around her pockets tactfully as to not wake Blake, searching for a receipt that may give her a heart attack. Unable to find the paper, she gave up, lying in the bed, figuring out when it wouldn't be rude to move Blake off of her and grab a drink of water and food.

Yang didn't have to wait long before her friend was stirring herself awake, Blake going through the same groaning motions of waking up hungover. The blonde let the bookworm take her time to figure out the situation, watching as she was lifting herself from Yang's shoulder, Blake's usual beautiful amber eyes straining as she connected the dots as to what she used as a pillow. "Sorry for sleeping on you. I barely remember carrying you to bed." she breathed out, Yang telling she was is just as much suffering.

"I should probably thank you for carrying me back. I would probably be under an inch of snow if left to my own devices." the blonde matching Blake's tone. The dark-haired girl crawled off of Yang, the blonde already missing the bodily contact, but glad she could move off and grab a bottle of water. She shuffled over to the mini fridge, grabbing a couple of bottle waters, handing one off to Blake. Yang took a generous swig, taking in her breathes slowly as she was centering herself.

"I feel gross sleeping in my clothes." Blake said, Yang concurring as she felt the layers of sweat coating underneath her blouse.

"Go first." the blonde directing her friend to the bathroom door. "I want to finish this and lay my head down a little longer."

Blake grunted her reply, dragging herself to the dresser and picked out her clothing. "If I don't come out in a half an hour, I may have gone back to sleep and need some rescuing." she left with as she disappeared behind the door.

Yang sat on the floor, taking her head out of her knees as she was sipping from her water. The soothing sound of the shower running was appreciated, the cozy sound enveloping her like a warm blanket. "_I may have to give Blake the same warning. So far all I want to do is go back to sleep. I hope we didn't drunkenly make out. That would be worth remembering, but if we did, she isn't making a big deal out of it, just like cuddling with me all night. I'm not going to bring it up. I'll chalk it up to drunk girl shenanigans. What matters is we had fun...hopefully._" Yang deeply smiling at the possible nonsense the two could have gotten into. "_At least she gave me a blip of happiness before she leaves today._"

Yang dozed off for a bit to have Blake tapping her shoulder as giving her chance to shower. She took her time, enjoying the warm water before she had to quickly towel off before the cold air freezes her again. Yang got in to comfy clothes, slipping into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, throwing on a black and white plaid flannel to keep the heat. As she stepped out a little better than she went in, the blonde noticed Blake sitting on her bed, garbed in a light purple loose knit sweater and jeans, book in hand, causally reading. Confused as to why she wasn't packing a bit for the ride home, Yang inquired. "What time were you leaving?"

Blake broke from her novel, shifting her posture to address the blonde. "A-a tire was flat when they got out so they need to go buy a new one. They said it'll be ready tomorrow."

"That blows." Yang's small ire coming out, the loudness in her voice making her and the bookworm flinch.

"It might still be too early to be that angry or read." Blake said as she tossed the book to the comforter. "I knew I should have invested in audiobooks for this sort of occasion. It's taking me way too long to get through a page with his headache."

Yang moved towards her desk, pulled out some trusty pills that would for sure get rid of the hangover. "These need some food to go with them. Want me to order pizza?"

"Yeah. Anchovies on my half." Blake requested, Yang deciding to not split the pizza and filling it whole with her favorite topping. With so little to do, the two had to figure out how to spend the day, the blonde getting cheeky with something that she and Ruby used to do as kids. Blake was less enthused, but spirited by the idea of a blanket fort. Yang took the sheets and pillows from Ruby and Weiss' bed, fastening them with chairs and Yang's mattress. The duo's pillows were used to cushions their backs and heads as Blake was curious to see how the 'Ninjas of Love' movie holds up. With movies on the mind, Yang propped open the flaps to their tent and framed the television for a movie marathon that would progressively get louder as their hangovers were cured. When the pizza boy came, Blake sprinted to greet the man, reassuring Yang it wasn't a big deal to pick up the slack this time.

Yang was surprised to like anchovies, the salty taste mixing well with mushrooms and chicken. With food in them and the medicine working, Yang and Blake were endlessly enjoying the poor acting, bad script writing and overall terrible production that was this movie, Blake promising that the book was much better, the blonde keeping her skeptical nature up as the cliches' were being slung in a cringy-worthy nature. Still, the bad movie about a bad romance was having an equally bonding effect as Blake using Yang's Corgi throw pillow on her shoulder as she was leaning on the blonde as the hangover was subsiding. Yang hadn't realized how long Blake was secure under her arm until the unmistakable call of her dad on the computer was ringing through the orchestra of the latest mega-blockbuster, the cover of heavy blankets distorting their sense of time as the sun was setting.

Yang got up off the floor, feeling resistance as Blake tugging her flannel jacket. "I have to take this. What's up?"

"You mind if...you mind if I join you today." she innocently asked, Yang's heart swelling at the thought of spending a special part of Hanukkah with Blake.

"Yeah. No problem. Get a chair as I set up with my dad." Yang asked. She got to her computer, answering the call. To her surprise, the camera in proper focus and range.

"Hey Yang. I'll connect the third party now." he said, a little square in the corner being made for Ruby and Weiss.

"Hi Dad." Ruby exclaimed, frantically waving in the webcam.

"Hello, Sir." Weiss politely chimed in. "Nice to finally meet you, kind of."

Their father let out a small laugh. "One day we can meet in person. It would have been a slim picture you would have got of me if you were to come now." Her father paused, curious as to now in frame. "Yang, who's that next to you?"

The blonde noticed that Blake was situating herself, her roommate looking a tad more proper than she was under the fort, Yang observing she had wiped away the sauce and grease from her mouth after cramming pizza in her face for the last few hours and her hair having a brush run through it a couple times. "Umm...this is Blake, the other roommate. She wanted to join us. I'm sure it's not a problem."

"Hello. Nice to meet you." Blake said.

"Blake, I thought you left the day with us. You said..." Ruby asked, but interrupted by her father.

"No time for that, Ruby. I have to get back to class for the exam and I'm really cutting it short with keeping this all together." he hurriedly said, Zwei barking in affirmation off camera. "See, Zwei knows what's going on. I would love, for over the break, we get down to have a meal as I like to learn about the important people in my girls lives. This is kind off nice though. I have an audience instead of family for once. For the two who are unfamiliar with Hebrew, just nod your head in reverence and have either Yang or Ruby explain what all this means. Ruby, since you were absent yesterday, I think it's appropriate that you start the prayers today."

Ruby didn't hesitate as her father was lighting the shamash, Yang began after her sister. The blonde noticing in her peripheral vision how respectful Blake was being, the bookworm surprised at how short the session was as she was reflecting. They said their goodbyes and Yang closed her laptop, returning to the blanket fortress after it was said and done. As Yang was going to un-pause the movie, Blake grabbed the remote and re-paused it.

"Hey. The good part is coming up."

"Your dad said you would explain everything." Blake told, keeping the remote a safe distance out of the blonde's reach.

"You're really going to hold me on that one. Come on. Let's get back to the movie."

"No, Yang. I'm curious. It means enough to you to get up and do this for eight nights. Also, I don't know what was being said, but it sounded nice." Blake said, an innocent, inquisitive nature in her stare had Yang to take the request more legitimately other than a simple tease. The blonde never thought she'd get to play rabbi, having to think a bit harder as to how the Hanukkah holiday was portrayed to her.

"A short of the back story is that when the Jews were having a major rebellion and taking back their lands, a menorah in the temple had only enough pure olive oil to last one day and it lasted eight. That's that part that usually everybody knows." Yang began, Blake nodded as she folded her hands into her lap, listening intently to what Yang was saying. "However, there's a far more symbolic meaning to it. The first candle represents the flame within man and the oil represents our soul. The lesson taught is that through those tough challenges, that oil is stimulated and burns so strong that nothing of this Earth can still it. The other seven candles are a representation of the other seven chambers of the soul, which we call the seven middot. Love, restraint, harmony, ambition, devotion, bonding and receptiveness are the seven characteristics of man from which stem all feelings and motivations of the heart. It's a reminder that when times are tough, the best characteristics of humanity shine."

There was a moment of deep silence, Yang unsure of where to go without the remote to press start. Eventually, Blake let out a smirk, giving the blonde an indication she didn't horribly bore her brain numb. "That was actually really beautiful. I don't know why you were shy about telling it." Blake took the remote and quickly started back up before Yang could look into the expression. The blonde shrugged it off and dug back into her groove in the pillows.

Yang and Blake ordered more pizza as the night went on, not wanting to brave anymore cold than necessary as the winds were whipping through the dormitory. While burning the midnight oil, the television cut out, the light in the corner snuffing out as the two were left in the darkness. "Oh come on." Yang digging out her phone and turning on the flashlight app. She guided herself to her laptop, the battery indicator showing that there was no charge coming to it. "Well...sure didn't expect a blackout."

Blake also brought out her phone, aiding with the lack of light. "My phone battery is not going to last the night."

Yang now heeding the red almost empty battery of her own phone. "Neither is mine. I want to conserve this as much as possible so I'm going to quickly look up the weather for tomorrow and then shut it off."

Blake, also thinking it was a good idea, helped as much as possible. "There is actually a pocket in the weather that will allow both of us to go home. It's reaching fairly warm temperatures for this time of year."

"That's great, but I guess we're going to have to finish the movie on the laptop." Yang propped the laptop with her legs, pivoting the screen more towards Blake. With how late in the night it was, and how boring of a movie it was turning out to be, the dark-haired girl had fallen asleep on Yang's shoulder, the blonde finding hard to wake her friend up from such a peaceful state. Sitting on the stiff floor and leaning on the hard wooden frame would make the two hour drive home unbearable.

Much to her dismay, as her cuddling with Blake was a dream come true, she had to wake her up. "Hey. Come on. We got to get you in a proper bed. Can't have you asleep when your family gets you."

Blake mumbled something that sounded like 'No, you're warm,' but Yang discounted it as half-asleep mutters as she supported her friend long enough to get her to bed. Yang dismantled the fort and threw some extra blankets onto Blake, the dark-haired girl appreciative as the temperatures were dipping without the heating in the dorm. Yang climbed up to her bed, getting snug in her fair share of blankets from the other absent roommates.

Yang was left alone with her thoughts with her scroll shut down, most of her thoughts taking a turn for the better as she was reflecting on the lazy day. "_It's days like this is miss so much. The fact we spent a whole day together and we like each other more because of it is testament to something. I don't want to get my hopes up, but maybe Blake is fond of the idea of us going back to friend...or something more preferably, but I'm not going to expect a Hanukkah miracle for my sappy heart. Today was more than I could have hoped for this holiday._"

"Hey, Yang. Are you awake?" a low voice came from the bunk below, Yang getting a cold shiver at the unexpected sound.

"Yeah, Blake. Also we don't need to whisper. Ruby and Weiss aren't here." the blonde replied in a matching hushed tone.

"Can I...can I tell you something.?" Blake's tone slowly raising so she could be easily heard.

"Yeah. You know you can tell me anything."

A still silence formed, Yang curious as to what got her friend so distressed. "I might...I might not go home tomorrow."

"Wait, what? And spend another day here? You'll be here all alone though."

"That was sort of the plan." Blake revealed, Yang ever intrigued by what the voice below her had to say. "I thought you left with Ruby and Weiss as well. You coming back to the room I hadn't anticipated. It's why I went to the bookstore and stockpiled on books, I was planning to stay as long as I could here before I had to return home."

Yang asked the all important question. "Why?"

"Going home isn't the phrase I'd use for me. For me it would be 'go to that place that bills you for tuition and a family feud in a broken home.'" Blake confessed, the blonde turning to her side at the answer peaked her interest.

"What brought that up?"

"Watching you and your dad and sister celebrate Hanukkah made me wish my family were that close. You could tell my parents were staying together for me, but as soon as I became an adult and they decided on a divorce, that illusion of family was shattered and I'm tired of picking up the pieces when I go back home. The dorm feels more like a home now. So, I was staving off the inevitable day when my mom comes to take me back home. It's why I had those excuses. Spending time with you was an easy choice, but I got a text from my mom saying she could swing by and pick me up. Truth is...I don't want to go back. I'd rather stay here...even if it's by myself."

Blake may have said she wanted to be alone, but Yang heard the shaken plea in her voice. It hadn't occurred to her that her friend was stranding herself at school voluntarily, that she was just as lonely as she was. Even though she was sharing her warmth earlier, she hadn't felt closer to Blake than now, wishing she could hold her, comforting the vulnerable woman. "I'm glad I was here to make it better, but it doesn't have to stop. My dad had the idea, but I'll extend the invitation. Why don't you come home with me tomorrow? I'd hate to think of you cooped up in this room feeling lonely."

Yang felt like she was overstepping a boundary, with all that Blake had done for her in reinvigorating some of the holiday spirit that almost broke. Romantic feelings aside, she wanted to help the girl who so selflessly was putting up a strong front to raise her spirits when she was needing the same kind of nurturing. "It's complicated back home, but I'll think about it." Blake lowly responded, the two returning to sleep.

Yang was woken up by the shower. This time, without a hangover, the blonde was able to slip out of her pajamas and into some clothes. As she was fitting herself with a black turtleneck and thicker jeans to keep the rest of heat from escaping, Yang was getting exciting about the last day of Hanukkah. "_I have to convince Blake to come home with me, but if I can't, the least I can get her is a present she can wear as a reminder that her family is here, with us._"

The blonde almost strangled herself with wrapping a black and red scarf around her as it snagged in the door. She was in a full sprint towards the main streets. Browsing one day, she found the perfect bracelet that she would get Blake for her birthday. With the situation changed, Yang felt this would be a more appropriate time to acquire the accessory.

After basically throwing money at the clerk, she took her little black box back to the dorm, Yang having to dab the sweat off her brow as she was hasting back to catch Blake before she left. As she opened the door, she was only met with disappointment. The blonde wasn't going to be defeated that easily and reached for her phone, the device's charge dead. She couldn't run around campus, and with no way of contacting Blake, Yang slumped herself on Blake's bed, tossing the gift on the bookshelf adjacent. "_I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes that high. If I didn't have to have the phone off, I probably would have gotten up early enough to give this to her. I'll shelve it for a different occasion, but I might as well start packing. Nothing left for me here._"

Yang was dragging herself packing her suitcase, not in a rush to go to another empty home till her father gets off for the winter break. Lost in thought, she almost didn't hear the door unlock, Blake slipping in through the crack. The blonde, so sure she wasn't going to see Blake till next year, was astonished to see her friend, black winter coat and mane littered with snowflakes, the woman dusting much of herself off, unaware of Yang in the room.

"Hey, Blake." the blonde meekly said, startling the bookworm. She hid a box behind her back, but Yang focused on her friend's arrival. "I thought you were gone."

Blake let out a deep sigh, taking a seat on her bed. "I thought the same, but then I looked outside and Bumblebee was still in the car port. I ran quickly to a store cause I would've felt guilty if I couldn't get you a Hanukkah present." Blake revealing the white box she tried to conceal, Blake peeling off her coat, the woman dressing warm in her purple sweater. "I was hoping to beat you into the room so I could wrap it."

Yang was smitten by the gesture and burst into an uncontrollable laughter at the happy accident that occurred. "What's so funny? The dark-haired girl tried her best to not be contaminated with the blonde's infectious giggle.

"I...I to went to go buy you a Christmas present." Yang taking the box off the shelf and presented the black gift to her friend. "You so deserve this even if it wasn't a holiday. I can't explain in greater detail what it meant for us to rekindle what we once were. You didn't run from my mopey self, but embraced it and I'm extremely grateful for that."

"Yang, you didn't have to."

"I bet I will say the same about that. Come on, open it. Santa doesn't have to know." Yang teased, the bookworm taking the box out of her palm, cracking the case and pulling out the silver bracelet, adored around the edges were miniature black cat charms. Blake smiled wide, gazing fondly at the precious accessory.

"You know me too well." she proudly said, fastening the gift to her wrist. Blake taking out her gift, Yang finding the casing itself rather costly as she noticed the brand.

"Blake, I know there's eight gifts to Hanukkah, but you didn't need to roll them all into one. I might feel bad accepting this."

"Don't. You say I was a good friend for a couple days, well you've been a good friend since the breakup." Blake's genuinely earnest words caught Yang's attention, lilac eyes owlishly blinking as she continued. "You respected my space before and after I realized how you felt about me and gave me time to mourn and process it all at my own pace. You were a great friend when I needed you to be, but now I want you to be more than that. The past few days was the tipping point on the pendulum that made me realize I'm ready to move on."

Yang's heart swelled at hearing Blake's confession, the emotions running so strong that she was restraining herself from not tackling the woman to the bed. Unable to give a proper answer, she beamed her felicity to the girl across from her, Blake rubbing she shoulder and gaze averting as the bashfulness had spread across her face. With the comfortable silence too much for Blake to take, she prodded Yang to open her gift. The blonde granted her wish, and popped the lid, revealing a golden necklace, an amethyst pendant resting in the middle, the jewelry breathless in nature.

"Blake...this is gorgeous. Even with all the beautiful words and sentiment behind this gift, I'm still going to have a problem wearing it. This looks pricy to say the least." Yang being forward her concern.

"Don't worry about it. Not having a boyfriend gave me a surplus in money the past few months and I feel really bad with how much we spent at the bar the other night." Blake admitted, Yang stomping at the mention of the bill.

"How much was it? Do you have the receipt?"

"I did. After being stunned at the total, I threw it in the trash, thinking it better you find out after the holidays and also a little ashamed that all of that liquid courage still couldn't calm my nerves enough to kiss you." Blake admitted, Yang's attention falling away from the exorbitant cost of the bill to what her friend had divulged. With the blonde stunned at the bold strategy of winning her affection, her roommate placed her hand over hers. The loving contact caused Yang to look back up at Blake, her gracious expression had the blonde forget her puzzle, amber eyes darting back and forth towards her lips.

A tuft of Blake's hair draped above an eye, the blonde's hand placing the strands back behind her ear, drinking in Blake's adoring expression before she closed her eyes and leaned it. Blake followed by example, Yang felt the dark-haired girl's lips still smiling as she pressed hers against them, her hand threading through the thick dark mane to cradle her new girlfriend's head. Their lips overlapped, Yang feeling frisky, lay her hand on Blake's waist, hand molding against her toned figure. Blake braced herself against Yang's chest as the blonde's influence coerced her to the bedspread.

Yang thought she was in trouble when Blake forcefully pushed her off her lips. To the blonde's surprise, she was met with the same euphoric expression that was no doubt was plastered on hers. Unable to break from their wistful gaze, Blake got more flushed as Yang was basking in the aftermath of their kiss. The dark-haired girl took the necklace from the box, unhooked the clasp and wrapped it around the blonde, making sure none of her golden mane was caught in the kinks.

After a careful reminder from Blake that driving in the cold would be miserable, Yang got off her, pulling her girlfriend off the bed, smoothing out her skirt. As Yang was finishing packing. Blake demurely came up to her, the blonde not able to ignore the playfulness of her usually closed off friend. "What's with the smile?"

"I know I didn't have an answer last night, but if the offer is still open, can I come spend the break with you?"

Yang lit up, not guessing Blake was going to pull this maneuver. "Absolutely. I'm going to beat Ruby to the punch introducing my girlfriend to Dad."

Yang was surprised to see how well Blake was prepared, the blonde guessing her friend had anticipated she would say yes with how efficiently she had packed. Both were bundled up in layers and layers of their warmest wears, the downside of the freedom of a motorcycle is moving to a town with snow. It may have been through an inch through thick clothing, but Yang felt Blake's face rest alongside her back, arms laced around her chest, Yang placing a hand around the gloves of her partner, so happy to be riding home. "_They always talk about that Christmas miracle in stories. That one in a million chance that ends up in the person's favor. I don't believe in that and never will, but if it wasn't for Hanukkah, this may never have happened. This is my Hanukkah happenstance. Everything that needed to be in play was and I will burn brighter with this beauty by my side._"


End file.
